The 33-year-old remains one of the biggest stars in boxing under 135 pounds, and he has plenty of options moving forward. Santa Cruz, in his first fight since a brutal KO loss to Gervonta Davis in October 2020, looked like his old self in a shutout decision win over Keenan Carbajal in a tune-up fight. Thurman wasn't the only name fighter ending a long layoff on Saturday. Leo Santa Cruz is back, and boxing is better because of it If he can stay injury free and lure one of the champions into the ring later this year, Thurman will be a formidable challenge. ![]() He's already endured two long layoffs, hiatuses that surely affected his precious timing.īut when he's at the top of his game, Thurman is one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Surely, Thurman will be improved next time out, provided he stays active and returns to the ring this summer. If not, a title fight with Crawford is appetizing, as would be a bout against Ennis. Spence meets Ugas in April with three belts on the line, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Thurman land a shot at the winner. and Terence Crawford are the stars of the division, but there's also Yordenis Ugas, Vergil Ortiz Jr. If the goal was to knock off the rust and show the world he's still a force at 147 pounds, he accomplished his goal.īut it was also clear that Thurman will need to be better if he wants to beat one of the top welterweights, and the division is filled with impressive boxers. ![]() He buckled Barrios several times during the fight, though Thurman faded down the stretch before a strong final round. The jab and movement that made Thurman a unified welterweight champion looked as good as ever, and the power appeared real, too, even in 10-ounce gloves. Thurman looks sharp, but not ready for the top welterweightsįor his first fight in 31 months, Keith Thurman looked sharp, even if he didn't score the knockout he appeared close to notching on several occasions. Mike Coppinger, Nick Parkinson and Michael Rothstein react to the action and share their takes. So, how far away is Eubank from competing against the top fighters in the middleweight division? While he seems to be developing very well under the training of Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr., Saturday's fight showed he's not yet ready for the top fighters in the middleweight division. While the win was clear, Eubank failed to finish the fight or fully pull away. dominate Liam Williams, dropping him four times to earn a unanimous decision. The main event in Cardiff saw Chris Eubank Jr. That sets up a winner-takes-all mega fight against Savannah Marshall to unify all four major women's middleweight belts, provided Marshall successfully defends her WBO belt against Femke Hermans on March 12. In Cardiff, Wales, Claressa Shields scored another impressive victory, winning every round on all three judges' scorecards to defeat Ema Kozin by unanimous decision. So what can we expect from a revitalized Santa Cruz? And while the fight was at 130 pounds, Santa Cruz still owns the WBA featherweight belt, creating multiple options in different divisions for his next fight. Santa Cruz threw almost 800 punches on the night, and looked crisp with his combinations. In the co-main event of Thurman-Barrios, Leo Santa Cruz looked like his old self in a one-sided unanimous decision over Keenan Carbajal. ![]() But can he beat the top fighters in the division? Should he take another tuneup fight or challenge for a title? ![]() Thurman fought for the first time since losing a split decision to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019, but came out strong and dominated the first few rounds, moving well and showing his power. The 31-month layoff didn't seem to affect Keith Thurman much in a unanimous-decision victory over Mario Barrios Saturday night in Las Vegas. Keith Thurman, Leo Santa Cruz make case for title fights in return Claressa Shields dominates again You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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